02. Transition Process
When we decided that we wanted to set Final Fantasy Tactics Advance as our base, we had in mind one aspect: The target audience of the game is focused on a small group of consumers that like this specific genre, also known as an audience niche.
One of our pillars as an organization, as mentioned in our Welcome Page, is to attract the consumers with our game. This is why we wanted to change some aspects of the base game, with the intention to wide up the target audience spectrum and be able to reach to a greater number of consumers.
This is why we decided to focus this game into another genre and change some specific features.
The main aspect we wanted to change is the turn-based movement and combat system. We thought that if we could make it more agile and fast-paced, we could wide up the spectrum, and not only reach to the turn-based strategy games market. This change opened us many doors to add some features that could not be implemented with the previous system. So, basically, we are going to focus on having a really fluent combat gameplay
Some of the aspects that we wanted to add was related to the player freedom. We wanted the player to experience some more freedom in the game, and let him be free to explore the world as he wishes, as it helps the player to immerse in the game.
This point generated us a dilemma with the levels of the game, as they were really small. The whole level was displayed on the screen, so there was no room for exploration. Therefore, we decided to extend the levels: make them bigger, and more complex, so the player can spend some time exploring it if he decides to.
In conclusion, we are going to focus on these aspects:
- Combat and movement system more agile and fluent.
- More player freedom.
With these wanted properties we figured out that a genre that fitted our desires really well was the action RPG.
Although we knew we wanted to make an action RPG game, we didn't want to close ourselves from other options. So we decided to make a research on other famous games from other genres, and find out working features that we could adapt to our game.
Action role-playing games are a subgenre of role-playing games, the main difference between these genres are the combat dynamics. While in the RPG can be a turn-based combat or a poorly combat fluidity, action RPG emphasize real time combat in a wild way, near hack & slash or shooter games with the difference that the number of etities to beat is "slightly" superior.
Action RPG is the main genre in which our game is set. We want something different from the original game, but without losing the essence of this series. The Action RPG genre suits perfectly in the lore of final fantasy and the artistic line of this series. In this case the subgenre of the subgenre is the point and click mode like Diablo or Path of Exile but controled with a Gamepad.
Titan Quest (2006)
Titan Quest is an action role-playing hack and slash video game. The story follows a player-created protagonist as they navigate Ancient Greece, Egypt and China on a quest to defeat the Titans after they escape from their ancient prison. The gameplay is similar to the Diablo series, with player navigation being handled with a mouse-driven tile-based interface, and gameplay revolving around role-playing mechanics and real-time combat.
Diablo III (2012)
Diablo III is an Action RPG where the player has several abilities depending on the class and the map generates procedurally. The main goal of the game is to repeat the game increasing the difficult to obtain better equipment to keep challenging the high numbers of enemies that the player has to defeat in real time knowing these mechanics as a grinding games too.
Path of Exile (2013)
Path of Exile is a similar game to diablo but with a more extended ability tree. Therefore, the player's choice to make his own build is huge. The gameplay mechanics are the same as diablo but with less empathize in the stock & exchange market and more in the player ability customization.
These three games have in common several elements but the main element is their gameplay, the frenzy in real time and the amount of enemies to defeat. That is what we are taking from these games and including it in the Final Fantasy Universe.
Multiplayer online battle arena also known as action real-time strategy is a subgenre of strategy videogames, in which the player controls a single character with four unique abilities and stats in a team who compete against another team of players. The objective is to destroy the enemy’s main structure situated near their respawn point with the assistance of AI periodically spawned units.
MOBA's abilities structure compound a solid gameplay with a few abilities compared with Action RPG ability structure, easier to design and develop and much more easy to interiorize for the player rather than games like Diablo.
League of Legends (2009)
League of Legends also known as LoL is a MOBA, where players take the rol of a character of the 143 available in the game with unique abilities plus the auto-attack and stats that make this character stronger or weak against enemies depending on their conditions. Five members compose teams and the main goal is to defeat the enemy nexus structure. The players earn gold, which must be used to upgrade or buy new equipment to get stronger than the enemies.
Overwatch(2016)
Overwatch although the dev company does not consider this game as a MOBA has a lots of MOBA elements combined with fps-multiplayer core elements. There are two teams of six players each one. The player can select a character from the 30 available, each character has its unique abilities and stats, a big difference with the other MOBAS is that while the player is dead he can changes his character to another at any time of the match. Another remarkable difference is the point of view, It's in first person and the flow generated in the game is a non-stop, always moving and dying. Unlike most MOBA's the strategy remains in a second plane due to the action dimensions.
From this genre, we use the number of abilities: auto attack, three basic abilities and the ultimate ability; instead of the big ability tree traditional of the classic Action RPG games. We also extract the counter and stronger position against enemies determinated by the kind of abilities each of our characters has. From Overwatch we extract the option to switch the character, but in a more efficient and dynamic way, for example in the middle of a battle.
RogueLike is a subgenre of RPG characterized by a dungeon crawl, a type of scenario in which players navigate a labyrinthine dungeon environment, fighting monster and looting treasures. In roguelike games, this dungeon is procedurally generated, level after level. When the player dies, he must start from the beginning of the game without the objects or treasures looted previously. RogueLike genre is based on the mechanic to start over and over again unlocking new weapons or abilities, this mechanic extends the playable life of the video game, but the combat and achievement mechanics must be unique and attractive to keep players in this mechanic of die and restart from the beginning.
The Binding of Isaac (2011)
The binding of Isaac is an orthogonal Roguelike game in which the player controls Isaac or another playable character, each one with different stats. The players navigates through a dungeon with several floors and a final boss for each floor, including enemies and other bosses. The dungeon is generated procedurally like so the order of the final bosses on each floor. The great success of this game is due to the huge possibilities of objects combinations that affects all your stats and your combat possibilities. The main goal is to unlock all characters and objects in the game. Obviously, the mechanic designed to accomplish the main goal is to die and start repeatedly.
Rogue Legacy (2013)
Rogue Legacy is a roguelike 2D platform game where the main goal is to explore a procedurally generated dungeon with different environments, defeat four bosses and the final boss. All the characters have the same main abilities and different passive and secondary abilities. Each time the player dies, he restarts choosing a descendant from the previous character. Each descendant has his own passive and secondary abilities but may also have a debuff or negative passive which makes the decision hard to take.
Like the previous genres, these type of games are usually set in fantasy worlds that compute pretty well with our level design walkthrough and art style. We use the exploration mechanic to find keys to improve your equipment or to open alternative paths, and the final boss in each level to reach the next level. We also take the labyrinthine dungeon atmosphere despite our levels won't be procedurally generated.
Metroidvania is a subgenre of action-adventures videogames, mostly side scrolling platformers. The name is given by the game series Metroid and Castlevania. The main characteristic that differences this genre is the map design, an interconnected world where the player has to achieve some key or special object to unlock the path and connect two different zones or explore a new area. A recurrent way to unlock new areas is with new abilities for example double jump or climbing mechanic.
Hollow Knight (2017)
Hollow Knight is 2D a videogame where the map exploration is essential in the game advance mechanics, going forward to obtain an ability and then return back to unlock a new zone with this ability. The game die & respawn mechanics are similar to the Dark Souls series. When the player dies, he loses all his money and has to go back where he died and fight his shadow to recover it.
Dead Cells (2018)
Dead Cells is a mix game between roguelike and metroidvania. It is a roguelike due to the main mechanic of dying and respawning mentioned previously. The player also unlocks new weapons found in a previous run. On the other side, the metroidvania genre comes to the map that is procedurally generated but the player has the option to find keys and treasures also alternative levels.
We will take the mechanic of exploration to find keys and unlock an alternative zones.
Here we collect the most important features that we are going to implement in our game. Have in mind, that for more detailed info you can visit our Game Design Document
Genre
- Action RPG genre.
Combat
- Fast-paced gameplay, with a greater amount of enemies
- Ability to change the main character instantly
- Auto-attack as the main combat attack
- Three basic abilities and an ultimate.
- Counter mechanics - a certain type of abilities gain extra effects against a certain type of enemies.
Level design
- Labyrinth dungeon atmosphere.
- Requirements to unlock next level
With all these changes in mind, we came up with our Game Pillars:
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Customize: This pillar offer to the player the possibility of personalizing the game.
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Combat: This is the most important pillar in FF Dawn of Ivalice because of this game was designed around combat mechanics.
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Save Points: Only can save in the points enable for it.
For more information go here: GDD Game Pillars diagram
